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PhD APPLICATION PORTAL OPEN as of SEPTEMBER 1, 2024

The application deadline is January 31, 2025. Our online admission portal opens on September 1, 2024 and closes on January 31, 2025 for September 2025 entry.

Please ensure that all the application requirements and supporting documentation of both the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Child, Youth, Family and Community Studies PhD program are submitted by the January 31st deadline, including academic and professional references supplied by your referees.
Incomplete applications will not be considered in the review and selection process.

Admission Requirements

All candidates for the degree of PhD in Child, Youth, Family and Community Studies (CYFCS) must meet all general requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, as well as the specific requirements of the School of Child and Youth Care. Candidates need to have been involved in some manner with the CYFCS field or be strong candidates from a related field. Entry to the program is on a competitive basis, and enrolment may be restricted in any given year.

Candidates will have a minimum of B+ (6.0 GPA) average and a master’s degree in Child and Youth Care or an allied discipline that demonstrates research experience and a capacity to conduct research. (Candidates whose previous degrees do not have a research component may be required to undertake and write a qualifying research activity.)

Each candidate accepted into the program will require one faculty member who is their primary supervisor and a second faculty member who will serve on their supervisory committee. Admission to the program is restricted by the availability of faculty supervisors. Admissions decisions are made by the School of Child and Youth Care Graduate Admissions Committee.

Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for external funding and should indicate on their applications where they have applied for such funding.

How to apply

We admit students on a biennial basis in odd-numbered years for September entry only, with limited enrollment. Go to the My UVic Application page, complete the Graduate Admissions Online Application and pay the application fee. For assistance with your application, please contact Graduate Admissions & Records at garo@uvic.ca.

Application Requirements

All required supporting documents must be uploaded to your online application. You are able to save and return to your application to make changes and upload documents. Your application cannot be processed until the application fee has been paid. 

Required by the Child, Youth, Family and Community Studies PhD Program:

  • CYFCS PhD Application Form: Completed in full and uploaded to the Statement of Intent field in the online application.
    (Please ensure your responses on the application form fit within the word count of the answer fields. Responses that go over the word count or that are sent as attachments/addendums to the application form will not be reviewed by the selection committee.)
  • Two Professional References: Completed on CYFCS PhD Professional Reference forms by referees in positions to comment on your professional capacity.
    Forms to be emailed to gradrefs@uvic.ca and scycgrad@uvic.ca by January 31, 2025.
  • Sample of academic writing that demonstrates graduate level writing capacity and is sole-authored by the candidate, usually your Master’s thesis or research project.
  • Current and complete Curriculum Vitae
  • GRE Scores, if available (not required)

Required by Graduate Admissions:

  • Completed Graduate Admissions Online Application and application fee paid in full
  • Unofficial transcripts from every post-secondary institution attended
    (If admitted to the program, you will be required to provide official transcripts to Graduate Admissions & Records directly from the institution.)
  • Courses in progress: If you are currently enrolled in courses or will be completing additional coursework before your entry point to the University of Victoria, provide course details in your online application
  • Language Competency results: Mandatory for all International applicants whose first language is not English
  • Two Academic Assessments: Applicants must provide the names and professional email addresses of two academic referees in the online application. Once an application has been completed, referees will receive notification via email, stating that they have been identified by the applicant to provide an academic assessment. In this email, referees will be given the name of the applicant, program/degree, and term to which the applicant is applying, and will be asked to submit their academic assessment using a secure, online reporting system.
    (Please ensure that you advise your selected referees that they will be receiving an assessment request from Graduate Admissions.)

International applicants must provide additional application information to Graduate Admissions and pay an international application fee.

 

Admission requirements

You will need a minimum B+ average and a Master's degree in child and youth care or an allied discipline that demonstrates research experience and a capacity to conduct research. If your previous degrees didn't have a research component, you will need to undertake and write a qualifying research activity.

Short-listed PhD applicants may be required to participate in a telephone-based interview as part of the overall screening and application process.

If accepted, you will be assigned one faculty member as your primary supervisor and one to serve on your supervisory committee. Admission to the program is restricted by the availability of faculty supervisors.

You are strongly encouraged to apply for external funding. Be sure to indicate on your application where you have applied for funding.

Admissions process

After Graduate Admissions and Records receives your application materials, the admission process involves the following steps:

  1. An admissions officer in Graduate Admissions and Records makes sure your GPA meets their requirements and that all required supporting documents have been submitted.
  2. If the application is complete, it is forwarded to the School of Child and Youth Care graduate program.
  3. The School's graduate admissions committee reviews the applications.
  4. Offers of admission are usually sent out in mid to late March.